Chuck Hagel spoke exclusively with KETV NewsWatch 7 during his visit to Omaha on Wednesday. Hagel answered questions on nuclear weapons, peace talks with the Taliban, the sequestration and cyberwarfare.

Hagel discussed the country’s engagement in Afghanistan, which he said will demand less from the U.S. military as it transitions to training, advising and assisting in missions with the Afghan military.

“There will also be a greater role for institutions like UNO's Center for Afghanistan Studies, which has played a unique role in helping forge strong links between the United States and Afghanistan for more than 40 years,” Hagel said.

Hagel said under the leadership of his friend Tom Gouttierre, the center has helped coordinate training for more than 3,000 Afghan educators and distributed 15 million textbooks since 9/11.

“The conflict there is complex, unpredictable and combustible and has now claimed more than 90,000 lives. It has developed along dangerous sectarian lines, exposing deep historical, religious and ethnic differences and complications. In this fluid and dynamic situation, there are consequences for U.S. policy decisions for both action and inaction,” Hagel said.

The secretary of defense said the United States has taken all necessary steps to protect the homeland and its allies from North Korea's dangerous provocations. U.S. protective measures include significantly bolstering its missile defense throughout the Pacific.

“The United States looks forward to one day having a credible engagement and possibly negotiations with North Korea, but those talks first depend on North Korea living up to its obligations to the international community and their actions to accomplish the complete and verifiable de-nuclearization of the peninsula. North Korea will be judged by these actions, not its words,” Hagel said.

Hagel spoke exclusively with KETV NewsWatch 7’s Rob McCartney during his visit to Omaha. Hagel answered questions on nuclear weapons, peace talks with the Taliban, the sequestration and cyberwarfare. He also spoke about his push to make sure women are incorporated into combat roles.

Hagel said cyberspace is one of the most difficult battles. He said hackers, not just those backed by certain countries, are real enemies.

“It’s a huge issue and it's not as simple as just are we winning or losing. We've got threats. They're real. They're going to keep coming. We're not where we need to be, but we have the capacity to get there,” Hagel said.

Once October rolls around, Hagel said he will be fighting a battle against the budget because of the sequestration. He said there will be department-wide cuts, which will ground planes and cut training.

Offutt Air Force Base is not off the hook, according to Hagel.

“No base can be off the table, very important mission," he said.

As a decorated combat veteran from Vietnam, Hagel said in light of all the budget cuts, veterans must take priority.

“We have an obligation to take care of your people,” he said.

On Thursday, Hagel will visit the U.S. Strategic Command for a series of briefings.

Hagel is also scheduled to make remarks at Offutt Air Force Base to thank service members and civilians. That event is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

A HOMECOMING TONIGHT.. FOR THE U-S SECRETARY OF DEFENSE. CHUCK HAGEL'S IN TOWN FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE BECOMING PART OF PRESIDENT OBAMA'S CABINET. HE SPOKE AT U-N-O TODAY.. WILL BE AT OFFUTT TOMORROW.. AND BEFORE HIS SPEECH.. HE AND I TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE TOUGHEST BATTLES FACING THE COUNTRY. CHUCK HAGEL'S ON FAMILIAR TURF.. THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-OMAHA. WHERE HE WENT TO SCHOOL.. HOME TO HIS ARCHIVE OF MATERIALS FROM HIS TIME IN THE U-S SENATE. NOW HE'S WORKING IN WASHINGTON AGAIN...(Hagel: The rhythm that you really need to find, the pace to deal with everything all at once and you absorb a lot.) FIGHTING DIFFERENT BATTLES. AND HE TELLS NEWSWATCH 7.. ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT ONES.. IS CYBERSPACE. HAGEL SAYS HACKERS.. AND NOT JUST THOSE BACKED BY CERTAIN COUNTRIES..ARE REAL ENEMIES.. I ASKED HIM HOW WE'RE DOING IN THIS CYBER WARFARE.. IF THE U-S IS ON THE ROPES.(Hagel: Huge issue and it's not as simple as just are we winning or losing. We've got threats, they're real, they're going to keep coming. We're not where we need to be, but we have the capacity to get there.) HAGEL'S ALSO FIGHTING THE BATTLE OF THE BUDGET. BY THE END OF THIS FISCAL YEAR.. THE DEFENSE BUDGET FACES 37-BILLION MORE IN CUTS. AND BECAUSE OF SEQUESTRATION.. IT'LL TAKE ANOTHER 52-BILLION DOLLAR HIT. MEANING DEPARTMENT-WIDE CUTS. PLANES GROUNDED..18-FIGHTER SQUADRONS.. TRAINING CUT- BACK. AND EVEN THOUGH HAGEL'S FROM NEBRASKA .. HE SAYS OFFUTT..IS NOT OFF THE HOOK.(Hagel: No base, no command, no area can be off the table.Offutt has a very important role for this country.)that mission is going to be funded. That mission is going to be carried forward.) (Hagel: There's not going to be anybody in this institution not effected by this, but we're going to carry out the mission that Offutt is there to carry out.) ONE BATTLE THAT HAGEL SAYS áMUST BE WON.. .. THE FIGHT áFOR OUR VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES.(Hagel: The production line begins with us.) EVEN IN LIGHT OF ALL THE BUDGET CUTS..áTHEY MUST TAKE PRIORITY.(Hagel: All of the veteran's programs, family programs in our budget that I submitted to the Congress two months ago, and all our chiefs, we don't cut any of those programs.) SECRETARY HAGEL WILL MEET WITH áCURRENT MILITARY PERSONNEL TOMORROW..WHEN HE GOES TO OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE. WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT THE PRESIDENT'S CALL TODAY FOR NUCLEAR ARMS REDUCTION.. HAGEL SAYS IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. HE SAYS THE SAME .. ABOUT ALLOWING WOMEN TO TRY TO QUALIFY FOR COMBAT JOBS. AND AS FOR THE PEACE TALKS THAT BEGIN TOMORROW WITH THE TALIBAN.. HAGEL SAYS NEGOTIATING WITH THEM IS WORTH THE RISK.. IF THERE'S A CHANCE FOR PEACE.

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